Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Bundu Designs has teamed up with Save the Rhino International and a group of Zimbabwean wire artisans, to highlight the plight of the Black Rhino in Zimbabwe. Bundu Designs worked directly with a group of talented Zimbabwean wire craft artisans, to design a unique and very beautiful beaded Black Rhino. The partnership will be launched to coincide with World Rhino Day on September 22, a worldwide awareness campaign highlighting the crisis that so many species of rhino’s are facing. The goal of the project is to sell at least 431 beaded rhinos – one for every remaining black rhino in Zimbabwe. For every rhino sold, $10 will be donated to the Save the Rhino International. Funds raised will support the teams on the ground, providing them with much needed support, equipment and training in theri fight against poaching.

Bundu has dedicated their business to showcasing the very best of African, contemporary, talent - collaborating and supporting several social upliftment organisations to develop product ranges that appeal to an international market and that translate into sustainable income and employment for artisans. The opportunity to combine two exceptional projects was an obviously good fit. The rhino sculpture has been created using a uniquely southern African craft using wire and beads. The 12” x 6” body structure has been hand made out of galvanized wire and then individually beaded. The horn is beaded in white, to highlight the reason these precious creatures are poached. Each wire sculpture contains a swing tag that is numbered from
1 – 431.

Save the Rhino International is an international wildlife charity, working to conserve viable populations of critically endangered rhinos in both Africa and Asia. Zimbabwe is home to the fourth largest population of black rhinos in the world – and the country’s population is in severe danger due to poaching for their horn. Africa’s rhinos are current facing the worst rhino poaching crisis for decades, with more than 800 rhinos lost in the last three years and there is no sign of the threat abating Zimbabwe’s black rhino population numberes 431 individuals (as at end of Dec 2010). The black rhino is classified as Critically Endangered, with a worldwide population of only 4,880.During the last century, the black rhino has suffered the most drastic decline in total numbers of all rhino species. Between 1970 and 1992, the population of this species decreased by 96%.

Help us achieve our goal of selling 431 of these handcrafted, beaded wire rhinos and be a part of creating sustainable employment for Zimbabwean crafters and contributing to the incredible work of Save the Rhino International.